Drabble Series
by teenHPtitans
Summary: One-shots and drabbles about Zoë and Artemis that will hopefully feature a healthy dose of the Hunters. Zartemis. Ratings: K - T
1. Scary Movie

**October 2004**

She shouldn't be scared. She really shouldn't. She's dealt with an Olympian goddess being angry with mortals, she's looked Zeus in the eyes multiple times, and she even raised a multi-headed dragon. She should not be scared.

When Artemis suggested a movie night with just each other away from the other Hunters, Zoë was ecstatic. Yet here she is, petrified, because instead of Artemis' usual choice of some rom-com that they would never finished because they would be too busy reenacting one of the heated scenes, Artemis decided to choose a horror film that is said to be one of the scariest of all time.

So here she is, silently suffering through a gory horror film that has way too good of graphics, while Artemis appears to have no problems watching. Instead of finding herself tangled in sheets with her goddess, she is just silently wishing for the screaming to end on their TV screen so she could curl up into Artemis' side and go to sleep.

She couldn't be more thankful when the movie does end and Artemis wants to sleep. Artemis seems to fall asleep as soon as her head hits a pillow and Zoë is left lying next to her in an old cabin wide-awake. Artemis is facing away from her so Zoë decides to hold onto Artemis closely from behind.

Just as Zoë finally starts to relax, Artemis suddenly yells Zoë's name loudly, scaring Zoë enough to fall out of the bed. Artemis hears the thump and rolls over on the bed to get a better view of her lieutenant. She can't help but giggle when she notices Zoë sitting on the ground with a pained look on her face.

"What scared you, Zoë?" She laughed. "Come on brave one, I'll protect you from those nasty monsters."

Zoë is only able to manage a glare at her goddess before crawling back into bed.

* * *

 _There is virtually no Zartemis stories and I highly doubt any more will be added since_ Titan's Curse _will no longer be made into a film. They are one of my favorite ships ever, so when I was cleaning out my computer and found a bunch of little drabbles about them, I figured I would post some of them._

 _Forgive the shortness along with any and all grammar/spelling mistakes._

 _Characters belong to their rightful owner._


	2. Inaugural World Cup

**November 1991**

Currently all of the Hunters were crammed around a television. With about half of the girls being from the 20th century – one of them becoming a Hunter in the late 1980's – they were all excited for the event about to unfold. All six of these Hunters had begged Artemis to be able to watch the first ever FIFA Women's World Cup. Artemis had relented seeing at how excited her hunters were.

Artemis had protections placed around an old cabin she had so that all of the girls could watch the match in peace, uninterrupted by any sort of monster.

The goddess was seated on the far end of the sofa with Zoë sitting right beside her. All of the other hunters were spread out amongst the floor and the sofa. Artemis, Zoë, and a handful of the other hunters missed the first few matches but had been convinced to stay and watch the final match, the United States of America vs. Norway.

Artemis glanced around at her other hunters.

She first looked over to her lieutenant and noticed her face was scrunched as she watched the screen. She could feel Zoë's confusion. Zoë had never been one for any sports – unless it was archery of course. To Zoë's left was Alice, a hunter they picked up in England in the 1920's, who was an absolute football – "it's not soccer, Mary. It's football, FOOTBALL" – freak. Anytime Zoë didn't understand what was happening, but didn't have the courage to speak up, somehow Alice could sense the confusion and would explain to Zoë. Artemis smiled at the thought of how close Zoë was to the other hunters. She continued looking around.

Phoebe would yell and cheer anytime there was a foul, practically begging for the players to break out into a fight. Mary, who had joined the hunters only four years prior, was sitting in the middle of the floor, right in front of the TV, completely entranced by the match.

She was lost in her own thoughts when she noticed all of the girls started cheering.

"TWO-TO-ONE!"

"THE US WON THE FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP!"

As similar statements were rung out, many of the girls got up and jumped around, screaming with excitement.

Artemis leaned close to Zoë's ear whispering, "I guess this means we'll have to celebrate later then, wouldn't you say, dear one?"


	3. Fire

**1829**

The Winter Solstice has always been one of Zoë's favorite times. After Artemis gets back from meeting up with the rest of the Olympian gods, they get to spend the rest of the evening by themselves, without the gods or the hunters, the latter staying at Camp Half-blood despite numerous protests.

It's not that Zoë doesn't love them, she does. It's always just a mental break for Zoë. One can only stress over the safety of fifteen girls and a goddess all day, every day before it begins to wear someone down.

These nights usually consist of Zoë and Artemis bunkering down in front of a fireplace in Artemis' cabin in Mt. Olympus talking, Zoë watching Artemis' mouth any time she took a drink from her wine glass. It usually starts with a recap of what happened at the Solstice then transitions into plans for the hunters and then memories of the past.

Tonight was no different. Artemis and Zoë both faced the fireplace with Artemis lying on her side, feet crossed and Zoë sitting crisscrossed and leaning back on the palms of her hands listening to Artemis speak.

Nothing exciting had happened at the meeting. The only thing that might have caused any problems was that Hermes had stolen some of Apollo's cows – again – and Apollo rightfully wanted them back. Hermes had played dumb for a while but Artemis and a few others had jumped in about how childish it was, Hermes eventually relented and told Apollo where his cattle were located.

"Sometimes I wish it were just you and me," Artemis said, drunk on wine. "I love my girls but, _Hades,_ they can be exhausting."

Zoë looked at the fire, allowed a chuckle, and then spoke.

"You don't mean that, my lady."

"No, but I do enjoy my time here with you."

"If all thee did was spend time with me I would end up like Hera."

"Never," Artemis barked, placing her wine glass a few feet away. She slid closer to Zoë, forcing her to straighten out her legs. She sat in the taller girl's lap and wrapped her hands around her neck.

"I may have a temper like my father," Artemis began, playing with the baby hairs on the back of Zoë's neck, "but I would never treat you as poorly as he treats Hera."

Zoë raised an eyebrow at her.

"I, for one, wouldn't leave such a beautiful lady without attention," she purred.

Zoë, who was still leaning back on her hands, quickly became flustered. Artemis moved her lips to Zoë's, kissing her hard. She nibbled on Zoë's ear for a moment before moving down Zoë's neck, hearing her breath become more labored.

The fire crackled behind them.

"I wouldn't treat you like Zeus does Hera," Artemis whispered. "I'll prove it to you."


	4. Trust

**1997**

Trust. It's such a simple word yet it means so much. It's part of the foundation to any good relationship – romantic, platonic, or otherwise.

That's why Artemis relies so heavily on it. She has to be able to trust her right hand and every other hunter she has. She has to be able to trust that she trained the new recruits properly and that they'll make smart decisions. She has to trust all of her hunters with each others lives and her own – she may be immortal but that doesn't mean she wants to get her ass kicked all the time. So she trusts them.

She trusts them when she and Zoë disappear for the summer and winter Solstices, when she leaves to deal with her brother, or when their best tracker – Phoebe – suggests that they should head northeast instead of north. She trusts them.

But she will never trust them alone at Camp Half-Blood ever again.

She knew that they didn't want to go. Every single hunter was vocal about never going back to the camp. But what was she to do? Morale was low after loosing Brittany and Mary was way too new of a hunter to be entrusted with such a responsibility after losing a hunter.

So she sent all of her hunters – Zoë included – to the camp while she dealt with her brother. After existing for several thousand years, leaving those girls at this camp was probably on her list of Top Ten Regrets.

When she arrived nearly a week later she was amazed – amazed at herself for ever holding her hunters and campers at such a high regard. She thought both of sides would be mature enough to deal with each other for a mere seven days.

At first she thought that someone or something had attacked the camp; eight of the cabins were ablaze, one of them including her own, with a ninth one starting to catch fire. The scene around the cabins was fairly quiet. There was no yelling, no crying,nothing.

She then saw Naomi quickly run from behind Artemis' cabin to a flipped over table near the woods, diving over the top. She calmly walked over to the table and heard three girls whispering.

"We need to flank to the right and get back with the others. Once we do that, we regroup and take the Big House, letting the campers destroy their own camp while we are left untouched. Naomi, you'll run first to that tree, then you Mary, and I'll comefrom  
behind. On three; one, two–"

"Ladies?" Artemis asked when she approached.

"Artemis!" Naomi and Mary squeaked. She glanced around at all three and noticed that Mary had somehow managed to get war paint on her face.

"My lady," Zoë straightened.

"Zoë, what happened?"

"The campers started it," Naomi began.

"Yeah they've been upset all week that we beat them – again – at capture the flag," said Mary, before yelling over the table, "because they're poor sports and even worse fighters!"

"Zoë, what happened?" Artemis asked again.

"They're telling the truth, my lady. They became hostile after we won capture the flag. Anything could've set them off," she paused, listening to a distant scream and after determining it wasn't a hunter, she continued. "So when Mary threatened to take down one of the Hermes kids if he didn't stand down, they all decided to attack us," Zoë explained.

"Yeah Ricky Anderson said that we were hunters because we couldn't handle being in Camp Half-Blood and being an actual half-blood. Which is ridiculous since I AM ONE. So I told him to back off or I would make him. And instead, he does the exact opposite! This is on the campers one-hundred percent."

"Mary," Artemis warned. "Zoë, who started the fire?"

The three girls looked at each other.

"Some kid from Are's cabin. Or Celyn. It's hard to tell, my lady," Zoë replied.

"Do you have any idea how long will take to clean this up?"

"With how many campers they have I wouldn't imagine terribly too long."

"Oh, all of the hunters are staying and helping. This doesn't look good for me or for any of you. I can only imagine how furious they will be. Who knows if the hunters will even be allowed to stay here again!"

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Mary chimed in.

"Yeah if they do, it'll only be worse next time around," Naomi said. "A blood bath would be likely! It's probably just best that we don't ever come back here."

Artemis heard someone – probably Alice – scream near a burning cabin for someone to call wolves to the fight.

No. She was never going to trust them at Camp Half-Blood ever again.


	5. College AU: Study Group

Artemis knew she would regret getting the entire team together to study. Fifteen girls in one room would be too much; no one would actually get any studying done. And if she wasn't going to be able to study, she would rather be occupying herself with something else. But what kind of captain would she be if she didn't lead them on _and_ off the field?

She and Zoë had managed to get themselves into a big fight over something trivial right before leaving for the study group. She figured that they had been spending too much time together lately; spring practice, European History, and they lived together. No matter how much they loved one another they still could annoy each other.

She walked quietly next to Zoë into the Wilson Library on campus, into a private study room that had previously been reserved. When she walked in she noticed that the England transfer, Alice, was already losing focus on her work, more concerned with talking to Mary.

Three of the four of the juniors were there. Artemis noticed that none of them were engrossed in their work, but were instead just talking with one another.

One of the other sophomores-Jemma-kept her eyes on her phone, undoubtedly texting the final junior Adela, demanding she show up to the library.

All of the freshmen were there and were all focused on their studies. Artemis knew that wouldn't last long; there were too many girls in the room and way too many upperclassmen that had figured out how to perfect the art of cramming.

Naomi looked up at the duo when she heard the door open.

Artemis and Zoë were met with a chorus of welcomes.

"Hey, Cap. Zoë," she greeted.

"Hey, Naomi," Artemis started. She watched Zoë walk over to the other side of Alice and sit down. "What are you studying?"

"Philosophy 220: Technology and Human Interactions."

"Pardon?"

"Oh it's about how technology has basically ruined humanity and we don't live fulfilled lives because all we care about is the new iPhone," Naomi replied casually.

"Oh. Well ok, then. I'll let you keep reading." Naomi smiled and looked back at her book. Artemis walked to the other side of the table, paused for a moment, and then sat down next to Zoë.

The first half hour or so were fairly productive; she managed to finish her Psychology homework and spent the rest of the time sipping on her coffee, watching the others study. There were times she just felt like a proud mom or sister, seeing her team be successful both athletically and academically.

And then Adela finally came in. The junior was infamous for being a gossip, both inside the team and outside. She always seems to know what's happening before anyone else. Then there was no hope for anyone on the team. Artemis knew she should just close her Algebra book and enjoy the ride because there was no way she was going to get anything productive done.

Everyone else seemed to know it too.

Adela immediately went to gossiping about guys in her classes. Sophomores, Celyn and Phillipa argued about how cute a guy was in their speech class.

Artemis glanced at Zoë who was staring silently at the table before turning back to the conversation.

"Now I know it's nice to talk about boys, but you remember the pact, right? No boys until–" Artemis started.

"Until graduation. We got it," Adela replied.

"Just making sure. Can't have my team corrupted just because I'm not around to keep you from being distracted."

"Which makes no sense because you're dating Zoë," Adela snapped.

"Excuse me?" Artemis growled. She heard Zoë sigh beside her.

Adela threw her hands up. "I didn't mean that she was a distraction per say, I just think it's a little hypocritical. You two can date but the rest of the team can't?"

"Boys don't understand the time and focus needed to be placed into soccer," Artemis began. "They would rather spend Friday nights partying and drinking than running drills. They split your time and focus. Zoë understands the work that needs to be put in."

"Still! You two are the only ones on the team that are allowed to date! It's not fair and honestly quite stupid!"

"Adela," Zoë warned, shaking her head. It was the first time Artemis heard her spoke since their fight. "Yes, we are dating, but name just one time when that affected practice, a game, or the team."

When Adela stayed silent, she continued. "Our relationship has never once interfered. The number of times, however, a boy has caused a teammate to be late, or skip practice, or break their heart before a match is a lot easier to count."

Zoë and Adela maintained eye contact, both waiting to see who would back down first. Artemis could tell Adela wanted to push it further but eventually she relented with a half-hearted apology mumbled under her breath.

"Guys? I don't mean to interrupt this at all, but I feel like everyone could benefit from this information... My friend Alex just texted me saying that there are stress puppies on the first floor."

All of the girls quickly darted out of their seats - eager for a study break of thankful to get away from all the tension, Artemis wasn't sure.

When Artemis reached the door, she turned around to see if Zoë was behind her. She tracked Zoë as she slowly got up from the table and walked towards the door. She stopped next to Artemis.

"I'm sorry," Zoë said after a moment.

"I started it. I'm the one that's sorry." She hesitated, grabbing Zoë's hand. The two stood there for a while. "That had to have been our dumbest fight to date."

Zoë nodded. "Yeah, I'd say so."

"Thank you for dealing with Adela."

"Of course. I could tell that things would've gotten quite heated. Both of you are very hot-headed, you know," she teased. Artemis scoffed and playfully rolled her eyes.

"What'dya say me and you head up to the sixth floor, maybe take care of certain _business,_ while the team's distracted?" She suggested, playing with the collar on Zoë's shirt.

Zoë grinned and nodded eagerly.

"Lead the way, my lady."

* * *

 _Ha wow. I forgot to keep posting, whoops. I've cleaned up this a bit since I originally wrote it, it could still use some touching up but it's better. Anyway. College AUs. Cannot get enough of them, no matter the fandom._

 _Characters belong to their owner._


	6. College AU: Party

Artemis was amazed by the pull she felt when she first met Zoë. She met Zoë while participating in the recruiting process during their senior year of high school. Zoë was the reserved girl from Arizona, Artemis from New Jersey.

Others didn't quite understand the closeness of the bond the two shared, but they couldn't deny that they were thankful for it any time the two played together, Zoë often assisting Artemis' goals in matches. What started off as a great relationship on the field, started to translate off the field as well.

Artemis had ignored the pull for a long time. She had just assumed that she and Zoë clicked right away and they became fast friends, potentially life long friends. About two months into the semester, however, that changed. After Artemis broke up with her first college fling, Zoë stayed by her side, always comforting and nothing less. It was all down hill for Artemis after that. She couldn't look at Zoë without hearing the blood rushing in her own ears.

They had just finished another round of tests and their Thanksgiving break was just a week away. Many students at this point had lost their focus on the semester and just wanted a nice break. The soccer team was no different. The girls craved a break and when the senior goalkeeper invited the entire team to a party that her boyfriend was hosting, no one would willingly say no, Zoë and Artemis included.

It was their first actual party. They both were fairly nervous; they spent the entire semester being good freshmen, practicing frequently and studying in their free time. Everything was going smoothly for the first couple of hours. Only Alice (the only other freshman on the team) had decided to drink, Artemis and Zoë choosing to sit back and watch their friends get loud and giggly from the alcohol.

Zoë, Artemis, and Alice were currently all standing in the backyard, making small talk. Alice was currently leading the conversation, talking about her favorite English delicacy when Artemis abruptly interrupted.

"Zoë, kiss me quick!"

Zoë chocked on her water, Alice stood still in shock.

"Please! Orion is here and is walking over this way! _Zoë,_ _please_!" Artemis whined.

"Ok, ok! How are you wanting to–"

Artemis interrupted Zoë by pulling her by the collar of her shirt, wrapping her arms around the taller girl's neck.

Zoë pulled Artemis closer, wrapping her arms around her waist, shocking herself by enjoying the moment. They stayed there for several seconds before Alice spoke up.

"Ok guys, Orion's gone and he looked pretty upset. If you're trying to make him jealous, Artemis, I would say that it worked."

Zoë and Artemis ignored Alice.

"Guys? Guys! Zoë! Artemis!" Alice yelled.

The pair broke away suddenly, both with red cheeks.

"Thanks, Zoë," Artemis mumbled. Zoë silently nodded.

Things were awkwardly silent for a while, neither Artemis nor Zoë were willing to look at each other, instead focusing on either their cups or the ground. Alice rolled her eyes.

"Ok listen. I think it's safe to say that you two both enjoyed that, which comes to the surprise of literally no one. So. Why don't you two talk while I go get another drink," Alice suggested. As she started to walk away she mumbled to herself, "Lord knows I need one."

* * *

 _Live and breathe college AUs. Expect some more in the future because I literally cannot get enough of them._ C _ollege AUs basically are my entire life to be completely honest. I love the idea of the hunters being a sports team with Captain Artemis and Vice-Captain Zoë leading the way._

 _Again, characters belong to their rightful owner and pardon the spelling/grammatical errors._


	7. College AU: Bashful

It was common knowledge that Artemis has always found pleasure in teasing Zoë, even after dating her for three years; she simply enjoys being the reason that Zoë is flustered all the time. Whether is was calling Zoë ridiculous pet names or gushing about how well she played in a game, Artemis lived to see Zoë become bashful and playfully roll her eyes. She simply enjoyed the little things.

So when she, Zoë, and Alice arrived in a large lecture hall to take the basic psychology course they had been putting off for a couple of years and she realized the professor was full of Dad Jokes, Artemis knew she would have plenty of opportunities throughout the semester to get Zoë flustered. Artemis sat down towards the very middle of the room with Zoë sitting on her right and Alice sitting on her left.

Before class began, their professor greeted his class. After cracking a few jokes that managed to make even Zoë smile, he began going over the rules of his class, demanding respect from all of his students.

"Be nice to the person sitting next to you," he said. "They may just end up being your future spouse."

Zoë's smile dropped immediately and she turned her head to look at Artemis. Artemis turned at the same time, smirked, and winked at Zoë. Zoë swallowed and looked back at the professor. She could hear Artemis and Alice chuckle as her ears and cheeks turned bright red.

As the professor began his first lecture of the semester, Zoë's mind began to wonder. Perhaps he was right. Of course she knew that she would have to deal with constant teasing from Artemis and the rest of the team before she could even consider making that statement true. She opened her notebook, shook her head, and smiled.


	8. Pillow Fight

**1968**

Sometimes Artemis let the Hunters misbehave, many of them were still just children after all. Nothing too extreme of course, just little things like letting them have a pillow fight or run around screaming in her cabin was something she had learned to let happen when they were allowed their rare breaks. As was such the case now; what started as a lighthearted pillow fight quickly turned into a strategic game that would determine who was solely responsible for chores for a month and who got to relax.

Which was total fine with Artemis, until the two youngest Hunters—Aeva and Diamond—ran outside while she was resting peacefully in a hammock on the porch. The duo did everything they could to distract Artemis from relaxing and demand that she participate in the fight. After several minutes of unsuccessfully convincing Artemis to play with the group, they failed to hide their disappointment and ran back inside the cabin.

After a few minutes of listening to squeals and screams and thinking about the two young Hunters' faces, Artemis groaned and decided to participate in the madness. She walked into the cabin, quickly finding Aeva and Diamond hiding under their dining table, grabbed a sofa cushion and sat down next to her. The pairs' faces lit up when they saw Artemis.

"Ah. I see you grabbed some admiral ammunition," Aeva whispered.

The pair waited in silence for the next person to appear and attack. Several minutes passed when they heard thunderous steps booming around them.

"Aeva? Diamond? Where are you?" she heard Alice taunt. "You two are the only ones left. Time to give yourselves up. There's no hope."

Artemis, being the goddess that she is with her young hunters by her side, jumped up from underneath the table.

"Attack!" Artemis yelled.

Severely outmatched, the trio tried to hold their ground, throwing what pillows they had and attempting to use the sofa cushions as shields. Despite facing off against seven other Hunters, the three managed to defend themselves well with the goddess of the Hunt leading the way, eventually forcing six of them into surrendering.

One, however, had disappeared from the onslaught. Artemis looked around, clearly confused and trying to locate the hiding spot when Aeva pointed to behind the sofa.

"On three," Artemis whispered. "One… two… three!"

The two jumped over the sofa, laughing and attacking the lieutenant.

Artemis even heard Zoë laugh in their pursuit. "Ok, ok," she said. "I surrender peacefully!"

"So what you're saying is that you're doing all the chores for the next month, right?" Diamond pushed.

"Taking care of you all is a chore enough," Zoë joked and Aeva pouted. "Besides, Lady Artemis randomly decided to join your team which is unfair."

"Life's unfair, Zoë," Artemis chimed in.

"So is cheating." Artemis rolled her eyes and Zoë continued. "But I am sure that everyone on my team will be glad to pick up the slack."

"Hey! You were on our team, _you_ have to help!" Naomi yelled.

Zoë glanced at Naomi before she looked at Artemis. "Surely you do not want me slacking on my lieutenant responsibilities, my lady?"

"I think you'll be just fine helping with laundry," she chuckled and threw another pillow at her.


	9. College AU: Lipstick

After the Thanksgiving party Zoë and Artemis had decided to take a risk and allow their relationship to develop into something more than just friendship. Now as their first year in college wraps up, the soccer team was having their formal, a fancier school-organized party to celebrate the accomplishments of the team.

It was the first time either of them had really dressed up for an event. Zoë was unsurprisingly uncomfortable and rarely left Artemis' side, straying occasionally to talk to Alice. The three of them did eventually find their way to a table for the beginning of the event. After cheering on the graduating seniors, the new senior Captain announced that she wanted Artemis to take on the role of Vice-Captain to begin their next season, hoping to shape her into a perfect, experienced future Captain.

As the formal wrapped up towards the end of the night, Zoë and Artemis headed out together. Once the pair left the building, instead of going straight to Artemis' car, Artemis decided to drag Zoë around campus for a walk.

Artemis clutched Zoë's left hand and arm as they walked in the clear moonlight. They eventually reached the "Forever Tree". The couple had walked by it several times in their six-month relationship but they had never walked under it before. Artemis decided to change that, quickly tugging Zoë along and stopping once they were under the branches.

"You know they say that if you walk under the tree with your college sweetheart, you'll be together forever," Artemis whispered to Zoë, watching her blush.

"Don't tell me you actual believe that?"

"Why not? It's terribly romantic, don't you think?"

"I suppose. But there's no way it's true. It's kind of foolish if you ask me."

" _I_ think it's pretty amazing… Two people intertwined together all because of a walk through nature."

"Exactly, it's just not practical."

"Perhaps this is my way of telling you 'I love you', dear one. Just let me have my moment," Artemis said, lingering a kiss on her cheek.

Zoë's blush only deepened more.

"I love you too but was all the lipstick on my cheek necessary?"

* * *

 _Um yes hi hello. I am alive._

 _Every now and again I get some inspiration to update things._

 _Fun fact: the tree legend is based on an actual tree on a university's campus although it's called something different. I recently visited a friend on that campus and they were telling me about it. Cliché? Yes. Still adorable? Definitely._

 _Anyway. I apologize for A) sporadic updates and B) extremely short ones. I also apologize that there aren't more Hunters involved in the story. I love them and want to include them in the stories but it's a matter of having the right inspiration strike and the motivation to write it._


	10. Vacation

**2005**

"Alice, this is meant to be a vacation, so please treat it as such," Zoë said as she attempted to walk away from Alice. She walked quickly down the stairs, a confiscated necklace in hand.

"I'm serious though!" Alice exclaimed as she followed closely behind her lieutenant.

"Trips to Olympus are so rare. Please, enjoy it," Zoë groaned as she turned a corner.

"Rare for _us_ , maybe. You get to come here nearly every solstice with Artemis for holiday," Alice mumbled. Zoë ignored her comments, instead knocking on the door of an open bedroom.

Adela, Jemma, and Naomi all looked up from their card game to focus on Zoë. "Do you know where Aeva is?"

"Try the kitchen," Naomi said.

"Thank you."

Zoë paced down the hall towards the kitchen.

"Zoë, please!" Alice desperately said.

The lieutenant saw the two youngest girls in the Hunt-Diamond and Aeva-playing a game of checkers on the small kitchen table. She walked over and dropped the necklace on the board game.

"What's this?" she demanded, pointing at the necklace.

Diamond looked uneasy and made eye contact with Alice who just shrugged.

"Aeva, what is this?"

"It looks like a really expensive necklace. I don't think a sapphire heart is really Artemis' style but I'm sure she'll love it," Aeva said innocently.

"Where did you get it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Zo."

"Really? Because it was in your duffle bag."

"Hey! That's an invasion of privacy!" Aeva bellowed.

"I do not care. Where did you get this? Was it when we were in Los Angelos?"

Aeva's jaw tightened but she said nothing.

"It's when we went on that movie tour, was it not? How did you get this past me?"

"I don't really want to talk about it."

"You stole the _Heart of the Sea_ from _The Titanic_ , Aeva. You can explain that one to Artemis when she returns. Unbelievable," Zoë huffed.

Zoë quickly walked away with Alice trailing behind. As they reached the den, Alice said,

"Just hear me out."

Zoë sighed deeply. There truly was no peace as the lieutenant.

She sat down on the couch in front of the fireplace. Alice quickly sat on the cushion next to her.

"Vacation for the Hunters is on a deserted island or at Camp Half-Blood for a few weeks, _not_ Olympus. Why would Artemis all of the sudden choose a cramped mountain as the prime vacation spot?"

"Perhaps Lady Artemis was feeling spontaneous and thought it best to try Olympus as a different vacation spot, since all the Hunters frequently complain about not getting vacation time here," Zoë said, clearly irritated, turning to look at the British girl.

"Then why is lightning missing from the storm clouds?"

For the first time since Zoë was confronted by Alice, she had been unable to come up with an excuse or avoid a question altogether.

"Why does she demand we stay on Olympus? I can tell she's scared, as are you. I know the both of you have spoken. What's wrong?"

"She's not scared, she's a goddess."

"And all of us are mortals whom she cares about," Alice countered. "What's wrong?"

Zoë sighed and after a few moments, opened her mouth to speak, "There might be wa—"

"Because I'm third in command and I think I deserve the right to know!"

"Alice, I'm trying to tell you," Zoë said impatiently, watching as Alice realized her mistake and silently apologized. "She fears war.

"Lady Artemis says that the Master Bolt has been stolen. Zeus believes it to be Poseidon's son. He's threatening war."

"Poseidon's son stole the Master Bolt?" Alice quietly exclaimed.

"Artemis doesn't believe so, no. She's trying to keep peace but she doesn't know how much more patient Lord Zeus can be. Things are escalating. If we are in the mortal world when war begins, there is no telling what we face, what we face _alone_ , without Artemis. At least up here, Artemis is close and can provide protection for us if we need it."

"How much longer do you think?" whispered Alice.

"Until war? Zeus is allowing until the summer solstice for the return of the Bolt. Otherwise, there will be war."

The two stayed in silence for a few minutes, Alice processing everything Zoë had said. Her attention was brought back to the present when she heard squealing and laughter in the room next to the den. She then heard a distance _pop_ from upstairs followed by a muffled "I'm ok!" and felt Zoë sigh next to her. She watched as Zoë rose up off the couch and went to the source of the noise but this time didn't follow her.


	11. Departure

**1987**

The winter seemed so harsh this year. The Hunt was on the outskirts of Chicago in the middle of December and the snow seemed never ending.

The cold would normally make Artemis feel alive, but in this moment it made her miserable. Two hunters, Hemithea and Josephine, were finally about to depart from the Hunt after speaking to both Artemis and Zoë in private just three days before. They had admitted to the goddess and her lieutenant that they had fallen in love shortly after Josephine's arrival in the 1920's and that they were ready to become mortal and live out their lives, together.

While she had been sad to see them go, Artemis understood why they were leaving as well as just how tired Hemithea must be; living for a several millennia takes its toll. She would have been lying, however, if she said she hadn't felt a small twinge of jealousy for the pair. There were times, particularly after losing a sister in arms, that all she wanted was to just grow old with Zoë by her side and live and die a mortal life.

Artemis had easily accepted their resignations, of course, but Zoë had struggled greatly.

* * *

"I'll have to find a third in command," Zoë had said weakly from the corner of the tent, a quiet protest that she knew was absolutely pointless. Artemis could hear the heartbreak in her voice.

"I'm sure my replacement will be superb because she will have a superb leader," Hemithea smiled sadly, placing a gentle hand on Zoë's shoulder.

She understood Zoë's pain. Zoë had been so quiet and so skittish when she first arrived in the Hunt, frequently scared that one of her father's creatures had found her. Hemithea and her sister, Parthenos, had been vital in getting her to trust the Hunt. For over 2,000 years she had considered Zoë her closest friend and was honored to serve under her. With Parthenos dead and with her leaving, she recognized that Zoë was left feeling vulnerable and scared.

"Please," Zoë barely whispered. "I don't know how to lead without thee."

Hemithea's eyes flickered to Artemis for a moment but quickly returned to Zoë. She appreciated Artemis and Josephine for staying quiet during their conversation.

"I know you would do the same if you could... I'm ready, Zoë," she whispered. She tried to make her voice more chipper despite the sadness she felt. "Besides I've done my job; I somehow convinced you two to get off your asses after you told me you had a crush on Artemis all those years ago."

Zoë's cheeks flushed red and she lowered her gaze. Taking a deep, steady breath, she hugged Hemithea.

"I'm proud to have called thee my sister," she whispered.

Equally as quiet, Hemithea said, "You won't be the only one that has a hard time, I promise."

Pulling away from Hemithea, Zoë turned to be able to also address Josephine. "May both of you live happy and fulfilled lives."

* * *

Artemis had seen the agony in Zoë's eyes. Unfortunately, that agony caused Zoë to be in a foul mood since the meeting. During the day, she stayed almost completely silent, refusing to socialize unless Hemithea or Josephine was also around and at night she would fall asleep with her back facing Artemis.

Despite Zoë's attitude, Artemis had still been able to quietly grab her hand. Showing affection in front of the hunters was always something that they tried to avoid but with her lieutenant in so much pain, she had to try and find a way to comfort her. Together, they watched as snow lightly fell upon the two girls. They kept their distance, allowing for every hunter to spend time hugging the girls and saying goodbye. When it was Aeva's turn, Artemis rubbed her thumb on Zoë's hand.

"I'm sorry I couldn't have known you both more," Mary said. Zoë was sorry too; Mary had only been a hunter for two months and would never truly know the honor of serving alongside Hemithea or even Josephine.

"We'll meet again, I'm sure of it," Josephine said, hugging Mary tightly.

They watched as Alice approached the departing hunters.

"I think Alice will make a fine replacement," Zoë whispered, the first time she had spoken to Artemis in nearly three days.

Artemis silently nodded, approving of the choice. When she noticed the pair putting on their packs, she let go of Zoë's hand and walked over to them.

"Safe travels, my sisters, and may our paths cross again."

The two former hunters bowed their heads in gratitude. Hemithea, with tears in her eyes, nodded one last time at Zoë before grabbing Josephine's hand and turned around to walk out of the camp and into their next lives.

Moments passed as the hunters kept silent, a few sniffles here and there. As they slowly started to disperse, Artemis' eyes tracked Zoë as she disappeared into their tent. She took a few moments before she followed after her companion. She stopped by the campfire to ruffle Aeva's hair and squeeze Jemma's shoulder, offering both of them an encouraging smile, before walking to her tent.

When she entered, she saw Zoë leaning on her hands against the desk, her back towards Artemis. She slowly walked up behind Zoë and rubbed gently between her shoulder blades, taking small pride when she saw her eyes close at the feeling.

"I'm sorry, brave one," she murmured. She hugged Zoë, resting her cheek on her shoulder. "I know she means a great deal to you."

"First Parthenos and now Hemithea. I feel like my heart is being ripped out and stomped on."

"That's good."

Zoë stayed leaning against the desk but turned her head to look at Artemis.

"If it didn't hurt, if you didn't _care_ , dear one, then I would fear for all the hunters, including you. It's ok to feel pain."

"I struggled so much to trust anyone, to feel safe," she choked down a sob. "They helped me feel at home and in just fourteen short years, I have witnessed one get mauled to death by a monster and the other choose to walk away."

"Zoë, she found love," she said, steady yet gentle. She wiped a single tear from Zoë's cheek. She placed her own cheek back on the taller girl's shoulder. "She found an escape from the pain of losing her sister. I could hardly fault her for leaving."

They stayed there in silence for a few moments, Artemis listening to Zoë's breaths, silently begging for it to return to normal. After some time, Artemis spoke quietly, "She meant a great deal to me too."

She leaned up to leave a lingering kiss on Zoë's cheek. When she could tell that Zoë was no longer about to cry, she said,

"So you told her you had a crush on me, huh?" Artemis' teasing caused Zoë's cheeks to heat up and turn red.

"I didn't just blurt it out to her. She just kept pestering me about it, insisting that I did and eventually I relented. She was overly excited about the confession and demanded I do something about it, which I of course never did."

"Which also explains why all of the sudden she started pushing me."

"Pardon?" Zoë said, turning around.

"You weren't her only confidant," she winked.

Zoë let out a groan while Artemis airily laughed.

"I for one am thankful she did what she did. I'd still be waiting if you were the one to make the first move," she teased. She stood on the tips of her toes and kissed Zoë's forehead, her voice much more gentle now, "Come, dear one. It's far too cold. Let us warm up by the fire with the others."


	12. Australia

**May 2010**

The first new recruit after the war doesn't come for a nearly a year. Artemis wanted to allow time for Zoë—as well as the hunters—to get re-acclimated to the lieutenant living again after Apollo's miracle without having to deal with new hunters. She would never be able to show Apollo just how thankful she was for him to use the gift the Fates gave him on bringing Zoë back from the dead.

But even though Zoë had been back— _alive_ —for nearly seven months now, the hunters were still recovering from the emotional trauma of watching Orion kill many of their sisters, and Zoë still had depressive episodes. It wasn't nearly as bad as it was for the first three months or so—she gets out of bed almost everyday now—but she still struggles to stay around the hunters for long periods of time without feeling like she's suffocating.

This caused Artemis to be determined to improve morale all throughout her camp. _A vacation._ She thought. _A long vacation that requires the Hunt to stay stationary and not have to worry about hardly anything. Some place that's sunny and relaxing with clear skies at night._

She had decided on staying outside of some city in Australia — Sydney or Melbourne maybe.

About a week in, when Zoë was positive there was no danger around and they could breathe, Artemis allowed all of the hunters to explore the city on the condition of not exploring by themselves and being weary of mortal boys.

Zoë had just wanted a cup of coffee and then spend the rest of the day in a quiet camp. Artemis, however, was determined to make Zoë obnoxiously happy, if only for the day. She dragged her across the city to see as much as possible. They went to a café, on a sightseeing tour, spent lunchtime in the botanical gardens (where Artemis even had Zoë giggling the whole time) and were now on their way to a Korean restaurant, taking their time as they observed all the street art.

Artemis looked down at their clasped hands as she fell slightly behind Zoë and smiled. Zoë was in a good mood, and it warmed her heart. Zoë led them down an alleyway, following a path of tiny motorbikes spray painted on the walls.

The goddess let go of her lieutenant's hand to stare at a mural. While she was busy noting how the new art started to cover the best part of the mural, Zoë's attention was caught by a strange sound behind a dumpster. She followed the sound and discovered a young, unconscious teenage girl who was struggling to breathe and bleeding profusely on the ground.

She immediately called for Artemis who came running at a frantic pace.

"What's wrong?" she asked, clearly worried for Zoë's safety. "What's wrong?"

She followed Zoë's line of sight to see the girl on the ground.

"Oh."

—

The pair managed to bring her back to the camp quickly. While Artemis spent time attending to the girl, Zoë stood far outside of the tent, several meters away in order to keep an eye out for any of the hunters.

Zoë's eyes immediately lit up as she noticed Thalia, Jemma, and Adela arrive back at camp.

"Jemma!" Zoë pressed.

"What's wrong?" The healer asked, following quickly behind Zoë

"We have someone that needs care."

"None of the hunters right?" Thalia quickly asked.

Zoë shook her head as all of them entered the tent.

Jemma ran to the girl's side. She felt her forehead. "'s a little hot."

"Who's that?" Adela asked.

"We're not sure of her name," Artemis replied.

"Why didn't you just take her to the hospital?" Thalia questioned.

"Can't you feel it? She's a half-blood. My guess would be Hermes," Artemis murmured. "Zoë, if you'd please."

The dark-haired girl understood the request and escorted Thalia and Adela out of the tent. Zoë resumed her post, waiting for the others. Much to Zoë's relief, the remaining few hunters started to quickly trickle in. _Alice and Mary, check._ Zoë thought. _Now we just need Aeva and Diamond._

"So you two just randomly found her?" Thalia asked.

 _Always has to be in the know._

"Yes. We were walking through an alley when we found her behind a dumpster." Zoë saw the afro of Diamond over the hill and heard Aeva make some joke and visibly relaxed. _That's all of them._ "That's usually how we find new recruits."

"Behind dumpsters?"

"No, randomly. Alice. Get an extra scout on the perimeter. A half-blood was attacked and I'd rather her attacker not surprise her or us."

"Of course, Zo."

"Thalia, I'll leave the fire to you—and without the use of your powers, _please_."

She walked passed a grumbling Thalia and towards the tent. When she entered, the first thing that she noticed was that the girl was awake. Jemma was taking a look at her ankle and it was obvious the girl was in pain. Artemis stood in the middle of the tent as to give Jemma space to work.

"Zoë," Artemis addressed her lieutenant. "This is Charlotte."

"Charlie," said girl interrupted.

"Hermes?" Zoë asked.

"Apollo," Artemis replied curtly.

"Ah. So a niece then."

"Apollo has always enjoyed Australia."

"Niece?" The girl—Charlie—quietly questioned.

"You're talking to a god, kid," Jemma chimed in, nodding to Artemis. "Specifically your dad's sister."

"So you're Artemis then?" Charlie asked, earning a nod from the goddess. She made eye contact with Zoë. "And you are—?"

"Zoë Nightshade, lieutenant to Artemis."

"Our loyal second in command," Jemma quipped. "She'd do anything for us. She'd even give up her own life to save an immortal goddess."

"Jemma," Artemis' voiced harshly snapped.

Charlie didn't understand much of the exchange. All she knew was that Artemis looked like she wanted to smite the healer and that Jemma quickly excused herself.

"Keep pressure off the leg, Charlie. Everything will take time but should heal just fine," she said hastily. As she stood up, she bowed deeply to Artemis and avoided eye contact with Zoë, a clear sign of submission.

Charlie glanced at both of them. Zoë had a hint of sadness in her eyes as she tracked Jemma out of the tent. She noticed Artemis quickly rub the small of Zoë's back before turning her attention back to her.

"So have you made a decision, child?" Artemis asked. Zoë raised her eyebrows. _That was quick._

"Eternal life or boys? Who'd ever say no?"

Near the entrance of the tent, she heard Zoë scoff.

* * *

 _I have this head cannon that as a thank you for everything Apollo did during the Second Titan War that the Fates gave him a gift. And despite his arrogant ways, he loves his sister and decided to use his gift on Zoë because screw the nonsense that is her death._

 _I also think she'd struggle to readjust to being alive because of several reasons._


End file.
